Spirited
by skyewarrior
Summary: All Chihiro wanted to do that morning was sleep, but would her friend let her? No. Now she's stuck in the spirit world with no idea how to get back home. The funny thing is that it all seems so familiar, like a dream.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It came in flashes and little glimpses of people, of shadows. So familiar that for a moment it almost feels real, almost like a memory, but not quite. The faces are fuzzy, unfocussed, like when the camera on your phone just won't clear up the image of the picture you are taking. The colors are there fusing together due to the absence of clarity but still distinct. There is a pinkish flesh color, like large bald dogs in shape. A giant grey spider like creature as well that for some unknown reason doesn't scare me like it should. Then there is the blue and gray blob that does scare me except for the few times when it doesn't. Black is there; tall and lean. Fast pink streaks race back and forth on a yellow/tan surface. But most frequently I see green and white. Sometimes the white is long and slithery like a rope and other times it is shrunk to be my height. It is safe when green is near. For a moment it is so close, maybe the vision will clear and I will see. Even if I did see, it wouldn't be remembered in the morning. To bad. It's funny though, during the dream I remember it all and I know that I won't remember when I am awake yet I remember that this time isn't the first time and I know it won't be the last that I visit this unknown place with all its familiarity.

"Agh," Light came streaming in from the curtains I swear I closed before I went to bed last night.

"Good morning Chihiro!" I glare at my roommate but no amount of glaring is going to take away the light that is constricting my pupils and waking me up. Before long it will be the point of no return and I will have to get up. Taking action I pulled the covers up over my head to plunge myself back into the warmth of sleep.

"You do realize that class starts in 5 minutes." My eyes opened wide and in a split second the covers are thrown off.

"Crap!" In a matter of milliseconds I am out of my pajamas and a toothbrush is dangling from my mouth. "Have you seen my skirt?" My roommate Lizzie points to the floor. Sure enough there is the navy blue skirt spread across the floor. The pleats are out of sorts but there isn't time to think about it before I hurriedly shove the thing on, "My socks?" I run to spit my toothbrush out, grabbing my brush with my glittering purple hair tie wrapped around the handle.

"Check your bed," sure enough rolled up at the end of my bed lie the discarded socks which warmed my feet until they got so hot that I rolled them off in the middle of the night, "It amazes me that I know where all your things are yet you don't." The brush is quickly ripped through my hair; the purple tie following in my customary ponytail.

"Amazing or not I am thankful that you do, otherwise I would be in big trouble," I unrolled the socks to pull them thigh high on my legs. _Where are my shoes?_

"Your shoes are under the bed," I didn't even have to ask out loud. She knows me so well. One shoe on I jump up hopping to the door on one leg. My foot catches on a piece of clothing, causing me to plummet forward crashing in an undignified heap on the ground. Laughter rings out through the room and I glare once again at my roommate who is doubled over.

I dust myself off and stand straight trying to keep whatever imaginary dignity I think I have left. "Yeah, yeah, very funny; now come on or _you'll_ be late." I walk out the door with my head held high.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" I turn around to see Lizzie holding up a white blouse. Heat pools in my cheeks as I look down. I am perfectly dressed from the waist down but unless I want to be suspended I shouldn't walk out in only my bra as a top.

"Thanks," I grunt out, popping my head out of the shirt. "Now let's run," I tuck the shirt in as we speedily make our way to class.

"Wow! You got ready in less than 2 minutes; that's got to be a new record." Lizzie is a little too much of a morning person sometimes but I would die without her. She's my best friend… and my alarm clock.

"Yeah, but it wasn't fast enough," I hold up the paper once again explaining the 2,000 word book report Lizzie and I have to do as punishment for our tardiness. "This is so unfair! Other places in the world don't have to go to school on Saturdays, why are we the only ones with one day a week to rest?"

"Don't look at me. I don't make the rules I just get your lazy butt out of bed so we can follow them." Ever since I met Lizzie I knew I would love her, even with her morning person attitude. She is just too bubbly not to love. I can't remember waking up before her, _ever_ , and I swear she wakes up with perfect hair and makeup. The blonde strands in loose curls all the way down her back, half of it pulled back to reveal a dazzling smile and bright green eyes.

 _Green….hmmmm….something about green._ I feel like I am trying to remember something but it is just beyond my grasp. Not even on the tip of my tongue, but close enough to taste it. BAM! I clutched my head in pain glancing up to see a locker swing closed from the force of my head connecting with the stupid thing. I forgot we were walking down the hall.

"How did you survive this long you clutz?" Lizzie once again is laughing at my clumsiness. It _is_ a wonder that I have made it this long in life. With how many things my head has run into these last 17 years I have been alive, it is surprising that there hasn't been any lasting brain damage… or at least I don't think there has been any brain damage.

"Good question," I answer. I rub the rapidly forming bump on my forehead, willing it to go away.

"You ok?"

"Yeah," I get up slowly and begin walking alongside Lizzie once again.

"So what is the report about?"

I held up the paper and read, "2 _,000 word paper about a cultural practice or past time in the Edo period in Japan. Due Monday, May 23_ _rd_ _._ " My jaw dropped after reading the last sentence, "How are we supposed to write 2,000 words in two days?! This is so depressing!"

"Next time wake up on time. You have a working alarm clock on your phone, why don't you use it?"

"I do," I replied sheepishly, "I just turn off the sound."

Lizzie stopped in her tracks and stared at me, "How is a silent alarm supposed to wake you up?" her eyebrow was raised and her mouth twitched up as she tried not to smile at my thought process.

I grabbed the hem of my untucked shirt; looking down at my hands, "It's not." When I looked back up Lizzie was smiling.

"You are like a little kid Chihiro." She's right I should have been able to get myself out of bed by now but sleep calls to me. It is so much more welcoming than being awake. It feels nice, comfortable, better than running into stuff and smacking my head around when I am conscience. "Come on, let's go eat lunch and head back to the room to get a head start on that paper."

I make a big deal about having to go to school on a Saturday but at least it is only for half of the day.

The green and white blur is here again. I am following it, but where are we going? The white extends to be longer like a rope again. I watch as the rope twists around in a beautiful dance, twirling in every direction. Suddenly the green and white rope heads straight for me and I know something is wrong. I open the sliding door that I didn't notice before to let my friend in. How do I know that this green and white thing is my friend? The thought is quickly lost as dive out of the way of the speeding blur. I run to close the door behind it just to be safe but the door won't close all the way.

I turn around to face my friend. Again the word is supplied in my brain but how do I know it is true? _Is it really my friend? I guess it is better than calling it "that rope thing."_ My train of thought comes to a halt as I notice another color that wasn't among the green and white before. Red. _He's bleeding_. _He?_ So my friend is a he. _I have to help him._ I run toward my friend as the red spreads across the white surface, but as I run toward him the farther I feel until it feels as though I have been running for hours, but still I have gone nowhere. My friend is still bleeding and I can't reach him. I stop to catch my breath and hear a voice, " _Chihiro_ ," It's faint and weak sounding but I know that it is my friend. The voice, I have heard it before. It brings back memories of steam and the smell of herbs.

" _I'm coming!"_ I yell. The red is bleeding into the white but no matter how hard I try I can't reach him.

" _Chihiro."_

"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!" With a jerk I lurched out of bed and tumbled onto the floor, my blankets tangled unnaturally around my legs keeping me from sprinting from the awful noise assaulting my sensitive eardrums.

"Come on sleepy head, I want to go for a hike," _Lizzie_. I should have known.

"What the heck?!" I shouted at my soon to be murdered best friend.

"What?" Lizzie asked innocently, "I just figured that if I am going to be your alarm clock I better do it right."

"By screaming in my ear at 6 o'clock in the morning?!"

She looked at me, a twinkle in one eye and said, "Yes." She was smart enough to duck so she wouldn't be pelted by the shoe that I chucked in her direction. Unluckily for me it was my shoe and it went right out the open window.

"Why the heck is the window open?" I demanded. I always make sure that the curtains and windows are closed before we go to sleep, not just to keep sunlight out but any intruders as well. It isn't very likely that we would get any intruders on the fourth floor but one could never be too careful.

"The room got super hot last night so I opened the window up to cool it off." Lizzie was lacing up her hiking boots. She looked cute in her short shorts and her plaid flannel shirt.

"I am not sacrificing my one day a week where I can sleep in to go hiking." My tone was final but I knew that I wasn't going to win this discussion. If there was one thing about Lizzie I knew it was that when she wanted something she always got it and by the look in her eye she knew it too.

"Think of it as a thank you gift for being your school mom." There was a small pang in my chest at the thought of Mom, but I ignored it.

"You can't use the same reasoning every week," it just wasn't fair, no matter how true it was.

She gave a knowing grin, "Why not when it works so well?"

"We have to finish our paper before tomorrow though."

"It's basically finished. We can do the rest tonight." Her reasoning was pretty sound in my ears and I always did love procrastinating.

"Ugh, alright," I conceded.

After a few minutes I was dressed and ready to go, minus one shoe. We walked down the stairs and retrieved the missing shoe before heading out. "So where are we going?" The curiosity was eating at me; Lizzie never hiked the same trail twice, she finds it too boring.

"I heard of a place nearby, we have to take the bus to reach it though." We _would_ have to take the bus to reach any place that Lizzie hadn't hiked before. Based on previous expeditions we probably wouldn't be back until later in the afternoon.

After a quick glance at my watch I know that it is about 7 a.m. as we board the bus off campus. It was 7:45 by the time we reached our destination and at that point we had to change buses twice.

Getting off the bus I glanced around to get my bearings. It was a little town filled with houses adorning the hill sides. "Is this it?"

"We have to walk a little but we should be there soon," Lizzie was very confident in her sense of direction and so was I….that and I trusted in my nifty phone that had a GPS app just in case we ever got lost. It never hurts to have a backup plan, not that I would ever tell Lizzie.

We began walking down the street and took a left, then a right, then a left again, and finally one last right. There was something itching at the back of my mind as we made our way down the road. A ways down the street we saw that the pavement came to an end and a dirt path continued into the trees. The houses around us fell behind leaving us on the path to nature. The itching sensation in my brain wouldn't go away. There was something familiar about this town, about this path. I glanced at my watch again, 8:27 a.m.

Looking up from my watch I saw it. Up the hill parallel to the path we were walking was a row of houses and at the end was a blue one. My old home. We had moved there when I was ten but not for long. Could I even call it a "home"? What is the length of time you need to spend there that changes a house into a home? I guess I call it home because it is the last place I lived with my family before going to boarding school. I'm not sure who lives there now.

"Aww, how cute," Is the only warning I get before I walk full force into a stopped Lizzie.

"Oof! Ah, I'm so sorry." Somehow Lizzie is still standing yet I am on the ground nursing a newly bruised elbow.

"It's ok, I should have known better," She really should have; she knows how easily distracted I get. I look up to the blonde hiking enthusiast before me and grin. Her blonde hair is pulled back tight in a ponytail like mine is. I get up and check the damage done to my clothes. My jean shorts are fine, in fact they might even need a little more of a thrashed look to them in order to appear more hip. I am glad that I went with short sleeved pink top instead of my stripped green one. I would hate for my favorite shirt to get ruined. Lizzie helpfully pulls a twig out of my hair when I stand up.

"So what's the hold up?" Without saying a word Lizzie looks down at the base of a huge tree where there are tons of little stone houses, "How cute!"

"Aren't they? I wonder why they are here."

"They are shrines. Some people believe little spirits live in them," the answer slips easily off my tongue; an answer that I didn't even know that I knew.

Lizzie is pleasantly surprised at this knowledge, "I love this culture; it is so cool."

"Is that why you came here from America?" I watch as she crouches down to get a better look at the little houses.

"Nope, that's my dad's fault."

The little houses are intriguing and like everything else lately, I feel as though I have seen them before. I probably did, seeing as I lived here before. My friend probably doesn't even know that we are in town I used to call home, but I am not about to enlighten her. She might think I know of more places we could visit but I barely remembered that I lived here let alone where other hiking trails would be.

Suddenly a gust of wind blows toward the direction of the path we had been taking. Looking into the forest I feel…something…like a memory. I have been here before.

"Come on, let's get going or we won't make it back in time to finish our homework." My blonde friend leads the way into the trees. I try not to notice that the moment we start walking again is the moment the wind dies down. It never helps to be superstitious.

The woods are thick but the sunlight comes through in little beams. Walking in the woods with Lizzie has always been fun. It is like being in a fairytale or a place long ago. There is no unnatural sound of car engines or airplanes. No nasty smell of pollution that assaults the lungs and nostrils. The smell is clean and the only sounds are the steps of our feet on the grass or the creeping of the woodland critters.

A comfortable silence settled between us. I may complain about it in the morning but I love going out to hike with Lizzie. I love being around Lizzie. She makes everything fun. I feel like myself around her and can relax. It is nice to be around someone that you know you don't _have_ to keep a conversation with. I am surprised that Lizzie spends so much time with me honestly. I never have really fit into any groups at school. Sure I have friends but there is no _one_ place that I feel I belong. Lizzie on the other hand could fit in anywhere.

We walked and walked and walked some more. Lizzie leading the way and me bringing up the rear. Hours passed, every once in a while we would talk. Mostly she would just ask if I was ok after she heard me crash into something. After dragging me out of the fifth bush that tried to hold me captive we sat down for a break.

"This place is so beautiful, it's almost magical."

"I know what you mean," I agreed. It almost felt wrong to talk in this place, it was so peaceful. The rumble from my stomach was easily heard in the stillness. We both paused to look at each other before laughing.

"Are you hungry?"

"Starved, I forgot to eat breakfast this morning."

"Me too," Lizzie replied swinging her trusty hiking bag over and digging through it. That girl had anything you could possibly need in that bag. "Ah ha, there you are," she yelled aloud. With a triumphant look on her face she threw an energy bar in my direction. It tasted like heaven to my salivating mouth.

After finishing the power bar I looked at Lizzie, "We should probably start heading back."

A pout formed on the blonde's face, "Come on just a little further," She begged.

 _Who was acting like the mom now_ , I thought. A quick look at my watch told me that we had been walking for over two and a half hours. We still had to go back, get on the bus, and walk home. "Fine, but half an hour more then we head back.

We were up and moving again without another word. After ten minutes we could see light ahead, as though we were approaching the end of the trees or maybe a meadow. As we got closer we saw a large moss covered rock jutting out of the ground and directly behind it a tunnel.

"Look Chihiro!"

"I see it." As we come into the clearing I see that the tunnel leads into an old abandoned building, overgrown with moss and other plant life. Lizzie goes straight to the tunnel to investigate walking right past the moss covered stone.

 _Hmmm_. I begin to pull the moss off the stone. _Eh, gross_. The moss is slimy and not easily moved with my bare hands. Looking around I spot a smaller rock next to my foot that I use to scrape off the nasty green mush. The sound of stone scratching against stone causes Lizzie to turn around and see what I am doing, but I am too intent on my project to notice her approach. What looks like a face takes shape as I scrap off more and more of the moss. My little project takes a few minutes but soon enough a two faced statue is revealed.

"It's kind of creepy isn't it?" My heart leaps in my chest at hearing Lizzie right behind me. I had been so transfixed by the stone that I hadn't noticed that she moved. She was right; the statue looked unsettling with its toothless grin and almond shaped eyes. Like an old hag.

"Yeah," my reply was a little breathless. For some reason my heart was beating faster than normal. The tunnel, the statue it was all like déjà vu.

"Where do you think the tunnel leads?" _Oh no, I know where this is going._

"I don't know, but we should really head back. I don't want to be caught in the woods in the dark." It was as though I hadn't even said anything. She gave no reaction to my statement, just walked right up to the tunnel entrance and stared into the darkness.

I looked down at the creepy statue and walked up to my friend. We stood at the mouth of the tunnel. Far down the path was a small hint of light. _So there is an opening at the end_. The flutter of leaves sounded in my ears I glanced at the ground to see leaves being blown into the tunnel. The wind is pulling us in. Another rustling sound reached my ear, this time it was Lizzie digging through her pack. A few moments later and she flicked on her flashlight.

"Let's check it out."

"No, we might get in trouble," the gleam in her eye let me know that there was nothing I could say to change her mind, but I would be darned if I didn't try.

"Come on Chihiro, where is your sense of adventure?" She was goading me, I knew it, but that didn't mean I wouldn't fall for it.

"I'm not going Lizzie," my tone was final, but she knew I was weak.

She smirked, "Fine, just stay here and I will be back in ten minutes tops," without another word she started walking down the tunnel. That was a lie and we both knew it. If I wasn't there she would be gone for hours. I grabbed the hem of my shirt nervously and started tapping my toes. I used to stomp my feet but after being called a weirdo by my classmates I tried to stop.

I could see her getting further and further down the hall, if I didn't go now I would lose her. The wind picked up again pushing me toward the entrance. It wasn't just the creepy statue that freaked me out or the dark tunnel. It was the familiar pull of it all. Like a lost memory.

"Gosh dang it Lizzie," I muttered under my breath, "you will be the death of me," I ran after my friend.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The sound of our shoes echoed through the hall as we made our way in the darkness. I followed closely behind Lizzie, so close that even if I was paying attention would run into her as soon as she stopped.

We soon arrived on the other side of the tunnel to find ourselves in a large room. I looked like an old train station. There were benches along the room and small circular windows high on the walls. Large pillars held up the roof. It must have been quite beautiful when it was built but now it was dirty with dust everywhere. It clearly hadn't been used in decades.

"Wow," I glanced over to see my friend grinning. "This is so cool!" Her voice echoed off the hard walls. It felt wrong, like our voices didn't belong in this place. I wanted to shush Lizzie but I didn't want to break the silence that had fallen over us again.

We headed toward a bright doorway and when we went through I shielded my eyes from the blinding light of the sun overhead. "Oh my gosh," Lizzie's voice was filled awe. It hurt, but I peeked my eyes open to see a vast meadow with rolling green grass. I physically felt my jaw drop in shock. If anything I had been expecting more forest but not this. The wind swept through the grass looking like waves in a green ocean. "What is this place?"

"Beats me," I replied.

"Let's find out," and with that Lizzie jogged off down the hill.

"You said just ten minutes!" I screamed at her back, "Now let's head back." I may as well have said nothing at all with the reaction I got from her. My friend continued on as if the wind had swept away my words. Not wanting to give in easily and indulge this behavior in the blonde explorer I watched for a few seconds as she descended the hill. A gust of wind blew by as I looked back at the building we had emerged from and saw an old clock tower on top of the structure. The rusty red paint color was chipping away but it was charming in an old, abandoned, creepy building sort of way. With the wind blowing it sounded as though the structure was moaning and with that thought the hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I ran after my friend.

It wasn't long before I caught up to her, "Good, I thought you weren't coming for a minute there."

"If I hadn't come would you have come back faster?" I was genuinely curious to know if that would have worked.

A mock thoughtful expression appeared on Lizzie's face as she "contemplated" my inquiry, "Hmm…nope," She shot me a dazzling smile with her answer.

I chuckled, "Didn't think so." The quiet didn't last long, "Oh my gosh, how long is this hill? I feel like we have been walking up it forever."

"Almost there," suddenly Lizzie stopped, "Do you smell that?" I sniffed the air.

"No."

Lizzie closed her eyes and tilted her head back taking in a huge breath through her nose, "Food." Without another word she ran the rest of the way up the hill.

"Hey! Wait up!" I cried as I tripped up the hill after her. As we crested the hill I could smell it, the aroma of freshly cooked food made my stomach grumble. That power bar I had eaten earlier was pitiful compared to the real food I was smelling. Across what looked to be a dry river bed there were restaurants and shops everywhere.

"This must be an old amusement park or something," I stared at Lizzie after her comment. _It's an old amusement park_. I walked after my friend who had begun looking for the source of the intoxicating smell. She easily jumped from rock to rock as she crossed the river bed. My body followed after her but my mind was sluggish as I took in all the features around me. _What a weird park. Where are rides?_ I thought as I stepped off the final rock of the river bed. A stone toad welcomed us into the empty streets of the park.

"Over here! I found it!" My mind snapped back as I turned to watch Lizzie duck into one of the food stalls. As I approached I heard her calling out, "Hello? Is anyone in there?" There was no answer but that didn't stop Lizzie. She sat down and grabbed a plate.

"What are you doing?" I hissed, stepping forward, "you're gonna get in trouble," My eyes shifted around to make sure we were alone.

"Maybe it's a pay after you eat sort of a thing," Lizzie said as she bit meat off of a chicken wing. Her eyes rolled closed as moaned in pleasure, "We really need to bring more food with us when we go hiking. You should try this Chihiro, it's so tender."

"No thanks, I would rather not go to jail."

"I've got my card and cash, we'll be fine," she assured me, but no amount of coaxing would change my mind. I couldn't explain it, but I had a bad feeling about that food. I knew we shouldn't eat it. Although I knew it, no matter what I said Lizzie wouldn't listen. I watched as my friend became very unladylike, shoving handfuls of food into her mouth. With a roll of my eyes I walked off to do a little of my own exploration of the place. If I wasn't going to eat I didn't want to stand and watch my friend hork down enough food to feed a village.

How odd that out of all the food booths only one was serving any food. Stranger still was the fact that it appeared no one was in this park except me and Lizzie. Coming to the end of the lane I looked left to see more stores and restaurants. A glance to my right showed a few steps leading to a giant lantern. Without a conscience decision my feet took me up the steps to the lantern where I stared up at it. Something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye; I looked to my right. My breath caught in my throat as I gazed at the enormous bath house in front of me. Red walls and a green roof towered above, a small bridge connecting where I stood now and the large edifice. "That's weird. A bath house?" I wasn't expecting that.

The sound of a whistle rang through the air, "A train?" I ran to the side of the bridge to look over the side. The train that had whistled passed far below the bridge. Not wanting to lose sight of it I ran to the opposite side of the bridge to watch where it was going. _If there's a station nearby we could hop on it and_ …

My thought never finished. Movement out of the corner of my right eye caught my attention. _Green…and white_. I snapped my head around to see who or what it was.

A young man with green hair stared at me in shock, "You shouldn't be here. Get out of here now!" Confused didn't even begin to describe how I felt at that moment. One second I am alone watching a train in hopes of catching a ride and the next I am being yelled at by some guy.

"What?"

"It's almost night," _No it isn't_ , I thought as I hurriedly looked at my watch which said….. _wait, what?_ My watch wasn't moving. It had stopped working at 11:23 but we still couldn't have been here for longer than half an hour, tops. I got a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach as I noticed the shadows on the bridge were lengthening….quickly. I looked back up, "Leave before it gets dark!"

Right as he said those last words the remaining light dimmed significantly. Lanterns were being lit behind him in the bath house and all around us. The stranger looked back at the bath house in frustration, "They're lighting the lamps."

Suddenly I was yanked back across the bridge toward the large lantern, "Get out of here! You've got to get across the river! GO! I'll distract them." He pushed me forward, turning around to face the formidable structure. Not wanting to argue with a crazy person I kept running, the large lantern from before lit up as I passed it. The urgency in the strangers voice spurred me on to keep going. Only one thought was in my head, _What's up with him?_

Looking around at the lanterns I began to panic. _How did it get dark so fast?_ There was no way that it could be night time already. As the lamps around the shops and buildings lit up shadows began to appear, shadows with glowing white eyes. They were sitting at bar of the restaurants, walking down the street, and some even appeared to be coming up out of the ground. _This can't be real!_ The shadows were almost human in shape but they were dark and see through. It looked like I could reach my hand right through them.

My slow run sped up to a downright sprint as I made my way back to Lizzie. We needed to get out of here. As I reached my blonde friend I didn't notice that she was a lot bigger than when I had left her, I was too busy looking around in a panic at the ever growing population of shadows.

"Lizzie! We have to get out of here!" I yelled, tugging on her shirt. Feeling her turn to look at me I focused on my friend. There was only one problem, that thing wasn't my friend. A nasty pig sat in my friends spot wearing her clothes. The blond hair was tangled with food smashed into it.

"UGH!" the pig turned back toward the food sniffing for more delicacies to consume. I quickly backed away from the nasty creature, looking around in hopes of spotting my friend. My attention was quickly returned to the pig when I heard a loud smack. A shadow was hitting the pig with a metal spatula until it fell over off the stool. "AH!" Without another thought I ran back through the streets the way we came. "Lizzie!" I called, praying that she would hear me, wherever she was. Freaked out wouldn't even begin to describe how I felt in that moment, running through the streets dodging shadow ghosts at every turn. By the time I reached the stone frog and ran down the steps the sun had set fully ushering in the darkness.

I didn't expect it when I ran into the water. I tripped over the sudden and unexpected force of the water hitting my legs. I flew head first into the river that wasn't there before. I broke the surface and ran up the steps again completely soaked from head to foot. Panicked, I looked across the water to the clock tower only to see it lit up with buildings on either side that I hadn't noticed before. A ferry boat was drifting its way toward where I was.

"This isn't real," I said to myself, "I'm dreaming….I'm dreaming. Wake up. Wake up. WAKE UP!" No matter how I shouted or wished it would all go away, it stayed. "It's not real. Just go away. Disappear." Not knowing what else to do I hugged myself _. Where was Lizzie? Did she ditch me here? Where am I? Is this a joke? Is this a dream? What if I don't wake up? Am I in a coma? Did I fall and hit my head too hard on a rock or something while we were walking in the woods?_ The questions didn't stop coming, but no matter how many I asked I still didn't know what to do. _Am I dead?_ I sunk down to the ground, resting on my knees. My hands travelled up to cover my eyes, but before they reached their destination I stopped. _My hands….they're see through_. I looked down _, I'm see through._ The lights of a nearby ferry were clearly visible through my arm as I held it up to the light. With each passing moment I could make out more details of the ship as I slowly faded away.

Passengers on the ferry began to make their way off the ship, heading towards the shops and food stands. They were so weird looking. Some wore red capes with paper masks, others were purple blobs and I swear there were giant duck things too. This was all so impossible. I ran away from the lights and the creatures, I ran away from it all.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

In my attempt to "run away from it all" I didn't get very far. My usual clumsiness was made ten times worse due to my panic. I stumbled and fell several times before finally giving up behind a building. None of the creatures in the street could see me but I could hear how close they were. The lights from the road didn't reach me but I could see well enough the slow fade of my body into nothing. This had to be the scariest nightmare ever, but what if it was real? My forehead rested against my knees as I wrapped my arms around my legs, pulling my body closer around itself.

Not only was it dark but I was freezing from being soaked in the river. My teeth began to chatter in the night. _What am I going to do?_ I squeezed my eyes shut tighter.

The warmth of someone's touch startled me. I gasped, looking up to see the green haired stranger from before. The dark of the night dulled his hair to an almost natural looking color. His eyes were dark as well and close…much too close for comfort. My heartbeat was still racing from all that had happened including the minor heart attack the stranger had just caused.

"Don't be afraid." _Yeah. Easier said than done_ , I thought. "I just want to help you."

Without my permission, my head shook back and forth. Could you blame me after all that had happened? I had no idea what was going on. My eyes didn't leave his, even as he shifted to pull something out.

"Open your mouth and eat this," Looking to his hand I saw a small round pill that he brought closer to my face.

Not wanting to give him a chance to shove it into my mouth, I increased the shaking of my head with my mouth shut, raising my arms like a shield.

Undeterred, he brought the tiny sphere closer to me. "You have to eat some food from this world or else you'll disappear." My heart surged in my chest from fear, "NO!" I called out, pushing him away…or at least I tried to push him away. What I saw scared me more than anything else that had happened thus far. My arms were transparent and… they went right through the young man's head. Not only was I see-through… I was walk-through.

I looked through my arms at the face behind them. His eyes were kind but his expression was emotionless. Looking into his eyes I felt odd…

"Don't worry," his voice was calming as he brought the pill like object once more toward my mouth, "It won't turn you into a pig." For some reason I let the stranger press the small berry into my mouth, "Now chew it and swallow." It took a second to convince my throat to swallow the unwanted food. The last thing I wanted to do at the moment was eat, but I did as I was told.

"There you go," I glanced toward my savior? Friend? I didn't know. Could I trust this person I'd just met? "You're all better." His statement made me look at my hands. They were still transparent. I could see a small, comforting smile form on the young man's face. "See for yourself," he said, raising his hand.

Slowly my hand reached up to touch his. I watched as my hand solidified and stopped when it came into contact with his. For the first time in what felt like days, but was only a few long hours, a smile stretched across my face. "I'm ok." A soft smile mirrored my own on the stranger. There was something familiar about this.

"You see?" He stood, trying to pull me up with him, "Now, come with me," but before I could stand he suddenly was pressing me back against the wall. His arm wrapped around my back pulling me closer to him, his other arm braced against the building behind me. Confused didn't even begin to describe my feelings at this point. My nerves were already shot, so I didn't understand why just a moment before he was trying to pull me up and now he was pushing me down and…hugging me.

I tried to look at his face to see what was happening but it was turned away from me looking at the sky. There was nothing there though, just a bird. "Don't move," he whispered. As the bird turned, making a circle in the sky I saw it. The bird was normal… until you got to its head. It was that of an old woman with an overly large, hooked nose and a knot of grey hair wrapped into a bun, kept in place by chopsticks.

I could feel as he crouched closer blocking the bird from my view. For a complete stranger, he was fairly protective. There was no energy left in me to react to his closeness. The warmth of his embrace was comforting especially since I was still shivering from my unexpected swim. His eyes never left the bird thing in the sky and when it drew nearer to us his grip on me tightened. As his grip loosened I could tell that the bird was flying away. He turned to watch it disappear completely, "That bird's looking for you." Standing up he turned toward me to help me up. "You've got to get out of here _." I believe you_ , but when I made a move to stand it felt as though someone had glued my legs to the ground.

"My legs," I looked up in panic, "I can't stand up." My heart rate spiked for the thousandth time that day as my attempts to simply stand up were foiled by gravity or perhaps it was by my pure emotional exhaustion from one unbelievable event after another. "Help, what do I do?"

"Calm down," He soothed, "Take a deep breath." My eyes fell shut as I inhaled through my nose. "In the name of the wind and water within thee, unbind her." There wasn't any time to think about how weird that sounded because the next moment I was yanked to my feet as he said, "Get up."

Everything around us blurred as we dashed through the night. Lights whizzed past us, doors opened, there were pots and giant fish. We were somehow running through a barn full of pigs at one point. _Don't worry; it won't turn you into a pig_. Was Lizzie turned into a pig? Was that really her before? Is she here now? Before my thoughts finished, we were out of the barn and heading closer to the lights of the bath house.

So this is where he is taking me? I still didn't know this person at all, but I felt I could trust him. In all honesty it was my only option anyway.

Before we stepped into the light he took me aside, "If anyone sees you or you get caught, you will be turned into a pig. They don't take kindly to humans." No other thought entered my head except, _Why would they turn me into a pig?_ "I will cast a spell so they can't see you but you must hold onto me." He explained, looking at me to make sure I understood. My head nodded in response.

We began to walk out into the open, "You have to hold your breath while we cross the bridge," He continued, opening the wooden gate in front of us. "Even the tiniest breath will break the spell and then everyone will see you."

My face must have looked terrified but the stranger didn't see. He was looking straight ahead expressionless. Cool as ice. There was no reaction from him at all as I slid my arms around his left one, hugging it to my body. If I was holding too tightly he didn't say anything. My heart was pounding as we drew closer to the bridge. _I'm scared._

He must have sensed how I felt, probably from the death grip I had on his arm, "Now just stay calm." There were frog men on each side of the bridge saying "welcome" to everyone who was making their way to the bath house.

"I'm back from my mission," the young stranger said to the toads. There was a change in his voice when he addressed them. It was cold and intimidating. I couldn't help the shiver that ran down my spine from hearing it. Earlier, when he talked to me he was so kind, but the way he addressed these toads, it was unfeeling and, like his facial expression, steely.

Unaffected by the tone with which he addressed them the toads greeted him, "Welcome back master Haku." _His name is Haku, huh?_ That is so much better than "the green haired stranger".

"Take a deep breath," He ordered. I filled my lungs to capacity, "hold it." My hand clasped over my nose and mouth.

 _Could this bridge be any longer?_ There was no way I would be able to hold my breath the whole way across. A tall black shadow wearing a Noh mask stood halfway across the bridge. _Can he see me?_ His head turned to watch as we passed him. When I turned back to face forward there were only a few feet left before we crossed the end of the bridge. _Thank you Noh mask, for the distraction._ I could do this; we were going to make it.

"Hang on; almost there," The soothing tone was back in his voice.

Suddenly a little green frog jumped right in our faces shouting, "Master Haku!" His blue kimono was cut short to allow his long, green legs to bend as he landed on the ground. I was so surprised I almost gasped. Almost. Instead my hand clamped tighter around my nose and mouth to prevent any air from escaping or entering my lungs.

"Where you been?!" the frog yelled. I had a feeling this frog had no idea how to be quiet or talk in hushed tones.

"None of your business, Aogaeru," Haku's reply was final as he pushed past the frog.

"Yubaba is looking for you," Aogaeru continued.

"I know," Haku never glanced back to the frog as he replied, "It's about my mission, right?" There was no reply to Haku's question; he probably wasn't expecting one either.

Only a few steps more and the burning sensation in my lungs would be relieved. _So close._ Even after we reached the end of the bridge I was too scared to breathe right away. My head started swimming from the lack of fresh oxygen. "Well done, Chihiro," after Haku's praise I gladly welcomed in new air to my starved lungs.

From the outside the bath house looked big but it did no justice to how enormous the inside was. There were all kinds of creatures everywhere, some looked more human than others but it seemed they were the workers. The ducks were there as well as a strange man with no face but gigantic ears. Steam from the baths clouded the air inside making it difficult to see things across the room. A salty smell mixed with herbs was potent in the air. It wasn't a bad smell, just very strong.

Haku led me to the nearest elevator. My grip on his arm never loosened but every now and then I ducked behind him in order not to run into someone else.

Any workers that passed by us showed Haku the utmost respect, giving a bow and always addressing him as "Master Haku". _He must be very important here_. His expression remained hard and his eyes straight forward. He never returned their greetings or payed them the slightest attention. There were no words exchanged between us as we made our way through the bath house.

We changed elevators several times before reaching our desired floor. One floor looked to be the dining area and another where the guests retired for the night. The floor we exited on was darker than the rest and much quieter. There wasn't much to be seen not even a single other person on the entire floor. A wide hallway stretched out before us, wide enough that 8 of me could comfortably walk side by side without touching. Lamps lit our way down the corridor. The wood floor was clean, not a speck of dust to be seen. The walls were plain and the doors along the hall were made of wood. This obviously wasn't a place for guests.

"This is where Yubaba stores her extra things." I jumped, not expecting to hear Haku speak. This floor was so quiet compared to the previous ones and Haku's voice sounded so loud compared to the silence.

"Yubaba?" _What an odd name_ , I thought, looking toward Haku. He was wearing a white shirt and blue pants with sandals on his feet. A purple cloth wrapped around his waist acting as a belt.

"She's the witch who rules the bath house," he glanced sideways at me. It was at that moment my foot caught on something making me stumble forward. Luckily my arm was still attached to Haku so I didn't completely lose my footing and face plant like I normally would. For my own safety and Haku's I decided to once again focus on where my feet were going, but before turning back I could have sworn I saw Haku's lips twitch like he was trying not to smile.

"A witch?" I repeated. After a day like mine it wasn't all that difficult to believe.

"If she finds you she'll turn you into an animal." We came to a stop at the end of the corridor in front of a door. This door was different from the rest, made of the traditional Japanese style of paper and wood, it slid open to reveal a cozy room. The wall directly across from us was made of glass with a sliding door that led to a wooden balcony outside. The right side of the room had three large windows and the left, cabinets and another door.

"You can let go now," slowly my arms let go of Haku, coming to rest at my sides. He turned to close the door and muttered some words. _Where am I?_

"This is my room," my eyes widened in surprise. _Can he read my mind?_ "No one comes to this floor except to clean every now and then. You will be safe here tonight." Looking around I took in more of the room. A futon lay in one corner and a low table in the other a pillow next to it serving as a seat. Above the futon were shelves of books lining the wall of door from which we had just entered.

"I must leave you now but I have placed a spell on the room that will prevent any noise from escaping."

"Wait, don't leave," I pleaded. The thought of being alone was alarming; I grabbed his hand.

His eyes softened, "I'll return as quickly as possible. Don't worry. You'll be safe here Chihiro," His hands squeezed mine back. I felt myself relax slightly as I stared into his forest green eyes. I trusted him.

"How do you know my name?" I had heard him use it a few times before but now we were finally in a place I could ask how he knew.

"I've known you since you were very small, Chihiro." He paused, "I will return as soon as I can." He promised, "For now you may rest here. Stay away from the windows." I nodded and when he moved to leave this time, I let him go.

After he left I looked around the room. The cabinets contained clothes and bedding. When I opened the mystery door I discovered a personal bathroom. Looking above the sink into the mirror I noticed how grubby I had become. My face was smudged with dirt and dried tears, my hair was barely being kept up with loose strands falling down everywhere, my clothes weren't so bad they were mostly dry now, my knees were grass stained probably from running up that grassy hill, and my hands had dirt on them with a few scratches from catching myself when I fell down.

 _A bath sounds like heaven right about now_.


End file.
